Forwarded from a friend RE: Fascinating NY Times story Ah, the importance of reviews! They seem a serious matter from OUR point of view, but I guess we just don't have a sense of humor, unlike Nora Rawlinson. If you missed this item in today's NY Times, read on! SAMUEL L. CLEMENS WOULD LOVE THIS A year ago, Publishers Weekly magazine panned a book as an "earnest but ultimately flimsy narrative." Last month, it raved about a book with a bittersweet ending and smooth writing. The two reviews were of the same book. Last year, copies were distributed to reviewers under the title "Harder Than It Looks." But the publisher, Hastings House, delayed publication. The author, THOMAS HAUSER, asked for the manuscript back and took it to Lyle Stuart and his firm, Barricade Books. Mr. Stuart changed only the title before publishing it as "Mark Twain Remembers." "This is so typical," said Mr. Stuart, who called this year's review "so favorable that even I would have been embarassed to write it." NARA RAWLINSON, the editor in chief of Publishers Weekly, laughted when she was told about the two reviews. "Oh, how interesting," she said. "I think it's fascinating. I think everyone knows that different people have different takes on books."